Twitch taps experts and creators for a new Safety Advisory Council
The group will focus on improving the game-streaming platform's policies with regard to safety, moderation and marginalized groups.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
Twitch is a popular platform for gamers who want to share their play-throughs and connect with an audience, but open platforms for user-created content require sound moderation policies. Now Twitch is looking to shore things up on that front with a new Safety Advisory Council comprised of online safety experts as well as the platform's own creators.
"When developing this council we felt it was essential to include both experts who can provide an external perspective, as well as Twitch streamers who deeply understand creators' unique challenges and viewpoints," reads Twitch's announcement about the new council. "Each member of the council was carefully selected based on their familiarity with the Twitch community and their relevant personal and professional experiences."
The eight-person Safety Advisory Council will advise Twitch on topics including:
- Drafting new policies and policy updates.
- Developing products and features to improve safety and moderation.
- Promoting healthy streaming and work-life balance habits.
- Protecting the interests of marginalized groups.
- Identifying emerging trends that could impact the Twitch experience.
Twitch has seen its fair share of abuse in recent years. Beyond toxic chat environments that led some prominent streamers to abandon the platform altogether, Twitch also failed to stop a user from live-streaming a shooting that killed two people outside a synagogue in Halle, Germany, last year.
"The creation of the Safety Advisory Council is just one way we are enhancing our approach to issues of trust and safety. We will continue to invest in tools, products, and policies that promote the safety and well-being of everyone on Twitch," the platform's statement reads.
The eight members of the Twitch Safety Advisory Council are:
- Alex Holmes, Deputy CEO, The Diana Project.
- CohhCarnage, Twitch Partner and streamer.
- Cupahnoodle, Twitch Ambassador and streamer.
- Emma Llansó, Director of the Center for Democracy & Technology's Free Expression Project.
- FerociouslySteph, Twitch streamer.
- Sameer Hinduja, Florida Atlantic University Professor in Criminology and Criminal Justice and Co-Director of the Cyberbullying Research Center.
- T.L. Taylor, MIT Professor of Comparative Media Studies and co-founder and Director of Research for AnyKey.
- Zizaran, Twitch Partner and streamer.